Electrical receptacle for plants.



No. 882,699. PATENTED MAR. 24,1908.

. H. S. LATSHAW.

ELECTRICAL REGEPTAGLE FOR PLANTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.24, 1906.

witmzooeq attorney UNITED srAir s HARRY S. LATSHAW, OF JERSEY SHORE,PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE FOR PLANTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 24, 1908.

Application filed January 24, 1906. Serial No. 297,698.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY S. LATSl-IAW, a E

subject of the King of Great Britain, re-

siding at JerseyShore, in the county of Lycoming and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectrical Receptacles for Plants;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in electrical receptaclesemployed for holding and also assisting the growth, of a plant.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby a plant may besubjected to a constant electrical and magnetic action,

the part of the plant subjected to such action being the roots.

With this and other objects'in view, the invention consists of certainnovel constructions, combinations, and. arrangements of parts, as willbe hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and more particularlypointed out in the claims heretoappended.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical, sectional view of a receptacle,preferably a flower pot, constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal, sectional view taken on line 2, 2,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 isahorizontal view taken on line 4, 4, Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of a suitablereceptacle preferably of the ordinary flower pot type. The body 1 isprovided with plates 2 and 3, carried by the walls. In the presentinstance, these plates are countersunk in recesses formed in the innersurface of the body 1. The plate 2 is preferably copper, while the plate3 is preferably zinc. The plates 2 and 3 constitute the negative andpositive elements, respectively, of a cell. The plates 2 and. 3 areconnected by a conductor, as for instance, a wire 4, which is embeddedin the walls of body 1, and engages, preferably, the back of the plates2 and 3. When soil is placed in the receptacle, this constitutes theelectrolyt'e, and the effect of the electrical action is manifestedthrough the electrolyte. While the wire 4 is continuous around thereceptacle, it will be understood that some of the current returning tothe positive element 1 starts from the negative element at oppositesides and. enters the positive element at its sides,-and thence passesacross to the negative element. By this means, the roots of 1 the plantor plants are treated or subjected l to a constant electrical andmagnetic action, 1 for the purpose of affecting the vegetable growthwithin the area of the walls of the receptacle.

It will be noted that any body of earth may be subjected to theelectrical or magnetic action by placing the negative and positiveelements as hereinbefore described.

In Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown another embodiment of the invention, inwhich 1 referably employ a plurality of copper p ates 2, 2 and zincplates 3, 3. All of the plates are connected by means of a wire 4, whichis embedded in the body 1, similar to wire 4. The current passes throughthe soil from each positive element to. the two contiguous negativeelements, thereby forming a plurality of pairs which'will give the plantor plants a uniform development which has been found from practicalexperience to not be the case with only a negative and a positiveelement, as it has been found that the tendency of the plant subjectedto the action of the electrical current is to develop in a linetransverse to the location of the zinc and cop er plates, when arrangedin a receptacle as i lustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that the receptacleshereinbefore de scribed constitute a cell, the electrolyte of which isthe soil in which the plant grows. It will also be obvious that while Ihave described the receptacle, preferably illustrated in the drawings asa flower pot, said receptacle constitutes inclosing means for a givenamount of soil which is subjected to a electrical or magnetic action.

The receptacle 1. is formed of any suitable non-conductive material, asfor instance, clay or cement, so that, while the current may passthrough the soil from one to another of the countersunk plates, it willonly pass from the positive poles of the negative element to thenegative poles of the positive element through the metallic conductor.

What I claim is:

1. In an electric receptacle for plants, the combination with a body ofa negative and positive element located within said receptacle and ametallic conductor passing entirely around said receptacle and connectedl v I to each of said elements for forming a return path for anelectrical current.

2. An electrical receptacle comprising a body provided with a negativeand a positive element surrounded by said body, and a metallic conductorembedded Within the said body, and connecting the negative and positiveelements.

3. An electrical receptacle for plants, comprising a body provided withplates countersunk in its Walls, said plates being positioned withinsaid body and comprising i a negative and a positive element, and ametallic conductor connecting said plates.

4. An electrical receptacle for plants comprising a body, platesconstituting a nega- 1 tive and a positive element countersunk in theinner side of the walls of said body, and a wire embedded in andextending entirely around the walls of said body in engagement with saidplates.

5. In an electrical receptacle for plants, the combination with a bodyconstituting l inclosing means, of a positive and negative plate locatedin contact with the walls of said body and a wire connected to the backof each plate for forming a path for the flow of electrical current.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY S. 'LATSHAl/V.

Witnesses: I CHAs. H. FREEMAN, l OLIVER A. CARY.

